Pertamina plants 2,500 mangrove

Pertamina plants 2,500 mangrove

JAKARTA: State oil company Pertamina planted on Saturday 2,500
mangrove trees in the protected forest in Muara Angke, North
Jakarta, to help ease the impact from floods that hit the area
annually.

"This is our commitment to improve the environment in order to
help the city administration handle floods," said Pertamina
official Adiatma Sarjito.

Pertamina has also planted mangrove trees in other coastal
areas, including Cilacap, Central Java, and Balongan, West Java.

Head of Natural Resources Conservation Center Jakarta Edi
Sensudi said mangrove forests in the capital cover only 25
hectares in Muara Angke and 45 hectares in Angke Kapuk.

"Previously, the forest spanned 1,025 hectares," he said.

He pointed to the construction of the Prof. Dr. Sedyatmo toll
road, residential complexes and industrial compounds as causes of
the diminishing mangrove forest area, which is a natural buffer
against the yearly floods. -- Antara